Do the Olympics Accept Gender Apartheid?

At the Olympics, race or religion is irrelevant. Or so they say. Yet once again, Saudi Arabia has refused to bring a female team to compete in the London games. Although Saudi laws are derived from Islamic laws, there is nothing in the Qur'an or Sunnah that bans women from participating in sports, they will not be permitted to compete. After sending men only teams since 1972, it's well past time to disqualify Saudi Arabia from the race.
The call for exclusion is not without precedent or law. In 2000, Afghanistan was barred from the Sydney Olympics, in part because of its treatment of women. Apartheid kept South Africa from the Games, and the Olympic Charter precludes discrimination.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to put the screws on Saudi Arabia, one of just three countries that have yet to field any women for the Olympic Games. The other two countries, Brunei and Qatar, have either vowed to send women to London this summer or...(Read Full Post)